 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1936-05-16)16 May 1936 | ||
| Place of birth | Păunești, Romania | ||
| Date of death | 28 January 2024(2024-01-28) (aged 87) | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1950–1957 | FCM Reșița | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1959 | FCM Reșița | ||
| 1959–1965 | Știința Timișoara[b] | 94 | (42) |
| 1965–1968 | Farul Constanța | 66 | (10) |
| 1968–1969 | Politehnica Timișoara | 20 | (9) |
| 1969–1970 | CFR Timișoara | 37 | (12) |
| 1970–1971 | UM Timișoara | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 223 | (73) | |
| International career | |||
| 1962–1963 | Romania[a] | 7 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1971–1972 | CFR Timișoara | ||
| 1972–1974 | CARA Brazzaville | ||
| 1974–1976 | Congo | ||
| 1976–1977 | UTA Arad | ||
| 1977–1978 | UM Timișoara | ||
| 1978–1979 | FCM Reșița | ||
| 1980–1981 | FCM Reșița | ||
| 1982 | Politehnica Timișoara | ||
| 1983–1984 | Libya | ||
| 2006 | AS Covaci | ||
| 2009–2016 | Agronomia Timișoara | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cicerone "Cici" Manolache (16 May 1936 – 28 January 2024) was a Romanianfootballer andmanager who played as aforward and made four appearances forRomania's national team.[4][5]
Manolache was born on 16 May 1936 inPăunești, Romania but when he was three years old, his family moved toReșița, starting to play junior level football in 1950 at local club,FCM.[3][6][7][8][9] In 1957, he started to play senior level football for Reșița inDivizia B where he would spend two seasons, afterwards moving toȘtiința Timișoara in the same league, a team he helped earn promotion toDivizia A by scoring 18 goals in his first season.[3][6][8] In thefollowing season, Manolache made his Divizia A debut on 4 September 1960 in a 0–0 draw againstRapid București, being a constant appearance for four seasons, the highlights of this period being the1962–63 season when he scored 15 goals and the team finished on the third place.[3][6][8][10] In the1963–64 season, Știința relegated back to Divizia B but Manolache stayed with the club, helping it promote back to the first league after one year by scoring 9 goals.[3][6]
In 1965, Manolache went back to Divizia A football as he signed withFarul Constanța where he would stay for the following three seasons, the most successful one being the1966–67 edition when with his six goals scored he helped the club finish on the fourth position.[3][6][7][8] Afterwards he went to play forPolitehnica Timișoara in Divizia B for one season, then moving to neighboring clubCFR where he scored 12 goals in hisfirst season, helping it gain promotion to Divizia A.[3][8] In thefollowing season, Manolache made his last Divizia A appearance on 28 November 1970, playing for CFR in a 2–0 home loss withArgeș Pitești, having a total of 171 matches with 52 goals scored in the competition.[3][6][8]
He ended his career after spending one season atUM Timișoara in the second league.[3][6]
_1963.jpg)
Manolache played four games at international level forRomania, making his debut under coachGheorghe Popescu on 25 November 1962 in a1964 European Nations' Cup qualification match againstSpain, in which he gave an assist toNicolae Tătaru's goal and he netted Romania's second goal in a 3–1 win.[6][8][11][12] Even though the qualification was lost as in the first leg Spain won 6–0, his performance was praised by the Spanish press:"Romania showed as a team of great character, led on the field by the kid Manolache, the "roller" in the center of the attack line".[12] Manolache said about the game:"We played with fantastic determination. We were going headfirst into the counter, on the crampons, we didn't care about anything. Just to win, to erase the stain from the national team's coat of arms".[12] His following three games were friendlies, the last one being a 0–0 draw againstTurkey.[1]
Manolache also played forRomania's Olympic team at the successful1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers, scoring brace in a 3–2 win overDenmark, however he was not called up for thefinal tournament.[1][11][13][14][15]
Manolache started coaching in 1971 atCFR Timișoara, leading the club for one year inDivizia B.[8][16] Afterwards he went to coach abroad inCongo atCARA Brazzaville with whom he won the only trophies of his career, the 1973Congo Premier League and the1974 African Cup of Champions Clubs.[6][8][11][12][16][17] Following his performances with CARA, he was appointed head coach ofCongo's national team, leading it in the1976 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, eliminatingIvory Coast in the first round but not managing to reach thefinal tournament as they were defeated in the following round byNigeria.[8][11][12][18] Afterwards, Manolache returned to his country, having his first experience as a coach inDivizia A, leadingUTA Arad to a 12th place in the1976–77 season.[8][11][16][19][20] In 1977 he went back to Divizia B, coachingUM Timișoara andFCM Reșița, at the latter having two spells.[8][11][16][21] In 1982 he had his last Divizia A spell atPolitehnica Timișoara when he was brought to replaceMarcel Pigulea, having a total of 66 games as manager in the competition.[8][11][16][22] In 1983, Manolache returned to Africa, leadingLibya's national team until 1984, his spell ended becauseFIFA excluded Libya from all competitions for two years, due to not appearing in an away match withEgypt.[8][12][18][16][23]
From 1985 until 2016, Manolache worked for various clubs in the Romanian lower leagues, the last one being Agronomia Timișoara.[8][11][16]
He was named Cicerone after theRoman philosopher,Cicero.[7][17]
Manolache died on 28 January 2024 at age 87.[8][12][10][1][24][25]
| Romania[1][13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1962 | 2 | 1 |
| 1963 | 5 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 3 |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 November 1962 | Stadionul 23 August,Bucharest, Romania |  Spain | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifiers |
| 2 | 23 June 1963 | Idrætspark,Copenhagen, Denmark |  Denmark | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers |
| 3 | 3–2 |
Știința Timișoara
CFR Timișoara
CARA Brazzaville
